Virtuix Omni gets new support - full crouching.

Here's a quote from Jan in an interview with VRFocus:

VRFocus: Earlier this week we saw a glimpse of a modified Omni that allowed for crouching. Do you have plans to iterate on the device with new features such as this?

Jan Goetgeluk: That image was from R&D work together with Rice University. We built a support structure that allows the support ring to move up and down with the user, enabling crouching with the Omni. While the price point of the standard Omni does not allow us to include a moving support structure (which is expensive), we might offer a variation of this support structure to consumers in the future as an upgrade to the standard Omni.

link: http://vrfocus.com/archives/2502/virtuix-talks-3-million-investment-size-price-concerns/

Nice news. This is just the beginning i think. :lol:

I would like just a non electronic Omni... one that just allows you to move around and use STEM or PrioVR for the positional data. I'm starting to think it may be just easier to go to Home Depot, build a simple vacuum molding rig (the only expensive part of that is the pump, but you can rent or borrow one for cheap, since it would be a one off use), and build my own Omni (it would certainly be cheaper... by about 400 dollars).

"sutekiB" wrote:
Here's a quote from Jan in an interview with VRFocus:

VRFocus: Earlier this week we saw a glimpse of a modified Omni that allowed for crouching. Do you have plans to iterate on the device with new features such as this?

Jan Goetgeluk: That image was from R&D work together with Rice University. We built a support structure that allows the support ring to move up and down with the user, enabling crouching with the Omni. While the price point of the standard Omni does not allow us to include a moving support structure (which is expensive), we might offer a variation of this support structure to consumers in the future as an upgrade to the standard Omni.

link: http://vrfocus.com/archives/2502/virtuix-talks-3-million-investment-size-price-concerns/

So what does this mean for the Omni? That the "normal" version is clearly lacking and inferior? I always thought the policy was that moving parts are bad and whatnot...
And how expensive can a moving support structure be, seeing that the Europeans are actually making it work in one device that's compact and if you trust their words, also affordable. Time will tell I guess.

I really don't understand the negativity the Omni gets. Jan was working on it before the first Oculus prototype was sent to Carmack, but you guys act like all that design and work can be done by anyone over a weekend. If it were easy we would all be doing it at home.

A lot of thought as gone into this design. Not only does it work, but it's sure to work for decades. A sliding support will be nice, but to make it as reliable as the dome will make it cost at least as much as the entire structure does now. This add-on will come in time, probably within months of the release but it can only work with Omni's base and capacitive motion tracking because THAT is the hard thing to create.

I like the cyberith too, but it's just not feasible to say it's better. The lack of a dome and inability to wear shoes is not an advantage, it will cause foot and back pain with prolonged use. The support is great but there's no evidence that it can hold up over time.

I'm not saying the Omni needs to be in every home, but I am saying it's an excellent solution to the problem of motion in VR. I run in place while playing HL:VR, it will be amazing to do that more naturally.

Its good but they miss something :


Not everyone has a 3meter large square to install it.....
if they want to sell it, they should try to make it "smaller".

I hope you guys will accept progress I made with odt of mine. Just not sure if I should go
"Steam punk" theme or make it more "polished" looking.

"wacko" wrote:
I really don't understand the negativity the Omni gets. Jan was working on it before the first Oculus prototype was sent to Carmack, but you guys act like all that design and work can be done by anyone over a weekend. If it were easy we would all be doing it at home.

Wasnt the omni based on a dead patent?

Anyway, this is the thread where I 1st found out about Omni:
http://www.mtbs3d.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=145&t=16452


As for the negativity... I guess most of it comes from the fact that a ¨bad¨ product would give bad karma to any other product of its line, buring the hype for these kind of stuff, instead of paving the road for other alternatives .... I guess we ll just have to wait and see.

"phosston" wrote:

So what does this mean for the Omni? That the "normal" version is clearly lacking and inferior? I always thought the policy was that moving parts are bad and whatnot...
And how expensive can a moving support structure be, seeing that the Europeans are actually making it work in one device that's compact and if you trust their words, also affordable. Time will tell I guess.

Moving parts aren't bad, but they're expensive, and can add to the size and weight, which is why they weren't used. From the start, I wholeheartedly approved of the Omni's design. It's affordable, comfortable, compact, robust, safe, and adjustable. These qualities are crucial for it to be adopted by consumers for home use. As a result, I believe that by 2020, the Omni will have usurped the keyboard and mouse as the standard input device used for navigating virtual worlds.

I'm glad that a more complex design wasn't chosen, because I want Virtual Reality to be a global success, ASAP. I think it will spur a dramatic leap forward in our species - mentally, socially, spiritually, and even physically. It's as much of a revolution as the digital, industrial, and agricultural.

We should all be able to access the full VR experience. The benefits to our enjoyment and fitness come from moving - walking, jogging and running. Squatting is not important enough to justify putting it out of most people's reach IMO.

I don't think that the prototype replacement support that was leaked represents a shift in ideology, it's intended for military training where the aim is not enjoyment but preparation for life and death situations. If it should come to be mass produced however, I'd like to see it offered to the public. One of the Omni's greatest features is its deliberate modularity. There was a DIY tier on Kickstarter, to give people that added flexibility.

"DIY enthusiasts can receive just the Omni base and shoes, along with detailed diagrams for constructing the upper support and belt structure. See if you can improve on our design by envisioning and building your own. We want to harness the creativity of this community to improve the Omni."

It's very exciting to think that we're now only a few months away from a commercially available omnidirectional treadmill, one that's only $499! Prior to the Omni, assuming you had enough space for the 10 foot diameter Virtusphere, you would have had to pay $28,000 to put your body inside a virtual world.

Yes, I'm a fan. I'm sorry - I love the Omni! :lol:

"wacko" wrote:
I really don't understand the negativity the Omni gets. Jan was working on it before the first Oculus prototype was sent to Carmack, but you guys act like all that design and work can be done by anyone over a weekend. If it were easy we would all be doing it at home.

Actually, ignoring any electronic components (which are pretty much redundant if you have STEM or PrioVR), it pretty much is easy to build over a weekend if you have the average garage. The one piece of equipment most people will not have is a vacuum molder which would really be needed for making the surface of the dish. But a vacuum molder is like a light-saber in star wars — everyone should build their first one (if you can build a bird house, you can build a vacuum molder, and they use to have 1st graders build birdhouses when I was little).